CAFFÈ CARMOCHA CUPCAKES

I have received information and materials from McNeil Nutritionals, LLC the makers of LACTAID®. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post.

Dairy envy sucks, right? Sure it does! Dairy envy is when you’re out with your girlfriends and they all order a creamy mocha latte and you’re STUCK getting a black disgusting plain cup of coffee. YUCK!! It makes going out for coffee with your girlfriends not so FUN!! Um, I don’t care what anyone says. Soy lattes just don’t cut it. They’re nasty and have no flavor whatsoever.

The wondrous folks over at Lactaid and Birch coffee are working around the clock to stop dairy envy for those of us who’re irritated by lactose.

Have you ever had Birch coffee? It’s absolutely delicious and it taste AMAZING with a little Lactaid milk. Yum!! If you live in the Manhattan area you can stop by a birch coffee location and receive a free Lactaid latte on National Coffee Day. How awesome is that?

Those of us that don’t live in New York City can visit Lactaid on Facebook and Twitter for the chance to win a Lactaid National Coffee Day prize pack complete with Lactaid milk, an exclusive Birch coffee roast, and other premium coffee gear.

As part of this promotion, I made some toothsome Caffe Carmocha Cupcakes. Don’t they look amazing? The best part is that they taste like a caramel mocha latte and can be enjoyed with a nice cold cup of Lactaid milk. And since Lactaid products are made from 100% real milk, I have no dairy envy. Lactaid products are just as delicious and they don’t leave me with a stomach ache. 100 real dairy. No discomfort.

I’ve done posts about Lactaid before and it’s one of my favorite alternatives to regular dairy. These cupcakes are no exception. Here’s the recipe.

Once you’ve added in the cake mix, crack three large eggs and add them to the bowl.

After you’ve cracked and added in your eggs, add in the unsalted butter. I prefer mine to be room temperature but I like it to be a little cold in the middle.

After you’ve added in the butter, pour the coffee creamer on top. If you don’t want to use coffee creamer, you can use Lactaid milk instead or water. It’s up to you. I always play around with the flavors to see which one I like best. I personally prefer the coffee creamer but love the thickness of the milk, too.

Once you’ve added in the creamer, add in the hot coffee. The hotter, the better. I just poured mine around the butter so that it wouldn’t melt.

Once you’ve got everything in the bowl, it’s time for some mixing action. Let’s get this mixing party started, shall we? First, I mixed the cake mix on low (for about 40 seconds), then I sped things up a bit and turn it on medium high until the mixture was nice and creamy, like butter. I’d say this took a minute and a half. I just used a regular hand mixer, nothing fancy.

Next, pour 1/4 cup of batter into your favorite baking cups. After you’ve added the batter, give them a little shake and tap to make sure they’re even. No one wants lopsided cupcakes, right? That’s not very cute, unless that’s the look you’re going for.

Okay, depending on your oven (they all vary slightly), bake the cupcakes for approximately 14 minutes, or until there’s no batter residue on your toothpick. Whichever comes first. Remove your cupcakes and let them cool for about 15 minutes, then slather on the frosting. Your cupcakes should look like this once they’re removed from the oven.

For the frosting:

In a medium sized-bowl, take the hot chocolate mix, instant coffee and warm water and whisk until it’s a nice syrupy texture. Then add in the cream cheese and butter mix on a medium high speed until it’s nice and creamy, like peanut butter. Then gradually add in the powdered sugar and mix until it’s thoroughly incorporated. After you’re done frost your cupcakes and enjoy.

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